Screener issues (see further below) and online streaming possibilities hated by film exhibitors and the Hollywood Establishment were two of the ingredients found in the 2015–2016 awards season mix. That in turn has led to a number of surprising omissions and inclusions when the SAG Awards' 2016 nominations were announced on Dec. 9, '15. (Scroll down for the SAG Awards' full list of 2016 winners and nominees.)

In the film categories, most of the usual suspects this awards season were shortlisted. Examples range from Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara for Todd Haynes' Carol (the latter absurdly nominated in the Best Supporting Actress category) to Brie Larson and Jacob Tremblay for Lenny Abrahamson's Room.

Helen Mirren's December Surprise

But how many were expecting Helen Mirren to receive two SAG Award nominations in the Motion Picture categories: Best Actress for Simon Curtis' Woman in Gold and Best Supporting Actress for playing gossip columnist and rabid right-winger Hedda Hopper in Jay Roach's Trumbo?

Or Idris Elba to land a Best Supporting Actor nomination for Cary Joji Fukunaga's Netflix-distributed Beasts of No Nation? Or to find Sarah Silverman listed among the Best Actress nominees for I Smile Back?

Someone has done a pretty good job of getting the word out there to the SAG Awards' nominations board. Helen Mirren's Woman in Gold, for one, was distributed in the U.S. by the awards season pros at The Weinstein Company. Some of the other inclusions were a bit more difficult to fathom.

Leave him out there

Major SAG Awards 2016 “snubs” included Matt Damon, who was left stranded for his generally well-received performance in Ridley Scott's The Martian, which, in fact, was totally shut out.

Another Boston critics' favorite and Los Angeles Film Critics Association winner, Charlotte Rampling for Andrew Haigh's 45 Years, was also bypassed for the SAG Awards. That's no major surprise, though, as the Screen Actors Guild is notoriously populist when it comes to its nominations; relatively speaking, there have been precious few performers shortlisted for their work in small, non-American films.

Both Clouds of Sils Maria and 45 Years were distributed by IFC Films in the U.S.

Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Comedy or Drama Series

LIFE ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

CAROL BURNETT

SAG Awards predictions: Michael Fassbender in 'Steve Jobs.'

2016 SAG Awards predictions

Dec. 8, '15: The 2016 Screen Actors Guild Award nominations will be announced on Wed., Dec. 9. The SAG Awards, of course, tend to be a solid prognosticator of the Academy Awards in the acting categories – solid, but hardly flawless. Generally speaking, the SAG Awards' shortlist tend to be more populist and more Hollywood-centered than those of the Actors' Branch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts.

But why would that be? Well, here are two likely reasons for the discrepancies.

Screeners' availability at the time of voting. Academy members vote a few weeks after SAG Award voters; as a result, they have some more time to catch up with late releases and/or smaller/non-Hollywood movies that receive widespread critical love during awards season. According to Anne Thompson, this year screeners for Alejandro González Iñárritu's The Revenant and David O. Russell's Joy were sent out late to SAG's voting committee, while screeners for Quentin Tarantino bolognese-sauced Western The Hateful Eight weren't sent out at all.

Academy members tend to be male, older, white, filthy rich Los Angeles Westsiders, but they also tend to be people who have actually been – or used to be – in the business for quite some time. Most are as populist as can be, but a minority of Academy members is undeniably what's referred to as “daring” and “sophisticated.”

Marion Cotillard in Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne's Two Days, One Night.

Such off-the-beaten-path nominations – e.g., Marion Cotillard in Jacques Audiard's Rust and Bone; Tilda Swinton in Lynne Ramsay's We Need to Talk About Kevin – are rare at the SAG Awards.

And remember: Unlike the SAG Awards, the Academy uses the preferential voting system for its nominations. Thus, theoretically, a small, enthusiastic minority (1/6 of voters + 1) can get to choose at least one of the nominees.

Having said all that, below are our predictions for the 2016 SAG Awards.

Predictions: 2016 SAG Awards Nominations

Best Actress

Other possibilities:
Charlotte Rampling for 45 Years.
Lily Tomlin for Grandma.
Carey Mulligan for Suffragette.
Emily Blunt for Sicario.
Maggie Smith for The Lady in the Van.
Blythe Danner for I'll See You in My Dreams.Meryl Streep for Ricki and the Flash.
Helen Mirren for Woman in Gold.
Sandra Bullock for Our Brand Is Crisis.

Best Actor

Matt Damon for The Martian.
Leonardo DiCaprio for The Revenant.
Michael Fassbender for Steve Jobs.
Tom Hanks for Bridge of Spies.
Eddie Redmayne for The Danish Girl.

Other possibilities:
Michael Caine for Youth.
Johnny Depp for Black Mass.Ian McKellen for Mr. Holmes.
Tom Courtenay for 45 Years.
Bryan Cranston for Trumbo.
Will Smith for Concussion.
Steve Carell for The Big Short.
Tom Hardy for Legend.
Michael B. Jordan for Creed.

Best Supporting Actor

Tom Hardy for The Revenant.
Michael Keaton for Spotlight.
Mark Ruffalo for Spotlight.
Mark Rylance for Bridge of Spies.
Sylvester Stallone for Creed.

Other possibilities:
Paul Dano for Love & Mercy.
Michael Shannon for 99 Homes.Robert Redford for Truth.
Jacob Tremblay for Room.
Robert De Niro for Joy.
Benicio Del Toro for Sicario.
Bradley Cooper for Joy.
Idris Elba for Beasts of No Nation.

Best Supporting Actress

Jane Fonda for Youth.
Rooney Mara for Carol. (Although one of the film's two leads, Mara is being pushed in the supporting category.)
Kristen Stewart for Clouds of Sils Maria. (Stewart will definitely be in if SAG Award committee voters have been able to see Olivier Assayas' film.)
Alicia Vikander for Ex Machina (or The Danish Girl).
Kate Winslet for Steve Jobs.

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